Covid-19: Spread of Virus Closely Linked to Movement of Individuals (Minister of Health)

27 July 2020 Printable Version

Rabat - The spread of the Covid-19 pandemic is closely linked to the movement of individuals, said Monday in Rabat Minister of Health Khalid Ait Taleb, who highlighted the worrying increase in virus reproduction rates.

"The Kingdom's big cities have been an easy target for the virus," Ait Taleb said at a press conference the day after the decision to ban travel to and from eight Moroccan cities.

The minister, in this context, emphasized "the worrying increase in the reproduction rates of the virus in certain cities, reaching 1.9 in Tangier, 1.7 in Fez or even 2.35 in Berrchid", specifying that nearly 46% of people in intensive care are in Tangier.

In addition, the government official drew attention to the steadily increasing number of infection cases, severe cases and fatalities in the eight cities of the Kingdom included in the recent government decision.

Citing Casablanca-Settat as an example, the minister noted that the region, which recorded some 2,900 cases of infection between March 12 and June 14, has recorded no less than 2,162 cases in two weeks. "This situation illustrates the speed of the spread of the new coronavirus in the Kingdom," he said, while calling on citizens to be cautious and to respect the barrier gestures recommended by the ministry.

Addressing the risk of infection, Ait Taleb said young people are no less at risk than older people, noting, however, that their immunity is stronger.

The members of the scientific and technical advisory committee, Moulay Hicham Afif and Chakib Abdelfattah, invited people suffering from diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney failure or cardiovascular diseases to be extra vigilant, noting that the risk of complications is more frequent in fragile people.

Young people who may be asymptomatic are called upon to limit as much as possible any physical contact with sick or elderly people, underlined the two specialists, inviting this category to show responsibility and not to expose their loved ones to risks that could cost them their lives.

The Ministries of Interior and of Health announced on Sunday the ban on travel to and from the cities of Tangier, Tetouan, Fez, Meknes, Casablanca, Berrechid, Settat and Marrakech, given the considerable increase in the past days of Covid-19 cases.